Colorado Highlights

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Colorado. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Colorado's elected officials:

The American Lung Association in Colorado supports evidence-based policy interventions to reduce tobacco use rates and prevent youth initiation. Together with our partners, the Lung Association works to ensure tobacco control and prevention remains a priority for state legislators and local decisionmakers.

There were several tobacco policy developments in Colorado in 2025. The state legislature defeated three bills that would have given tax breaks to the tobacco industry and severely limited local government's ability to tax tobacco products. In Denver, a coalition of vape shops and Big Tobacco unsuccessfully attempted to repeal Denver's new law that prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco products. More than 70% of voters supported the Yes position on ballot measure 310, rejecting the tobacco industry's efforts and keeping the law in place. In Longmont, the city council rejected an ordinance that would have weakened the city's smokefree air law by permitting indoor marijuana smoking in certain businesses. Voters in the Town of Silt approved a ballot measure establishing a new local sales tax on all tobacco products. Starting in 2026, a pack of cigarettes will be taxed an additional $3.80, which will increase to $4.00 per pack in 2028. Other tobacco products and all nicotine products will be taxed an additional 40%.

The Department of Revenue (DOR) also made changes to administrative rules on tobacco, specifically related to tobacco festivals and tobacco deliveries. Despite advocacy from the Lung Association and other health partners for stronger regulations to safeguard against youth access to tobacco products, DOR adopted rules that leave significant loopholes in place.

Several localities had success in enacting stronger tobacco control policies in 2025:

• Aspen: Strengthened smokefree air protections;

• Breckenridge: Flavored tobacco sales prohibition;

• Dillon: Flavored tobacco sales prohibition;

• Eagle: Flavored tobacco sales prohibition;

• Frisco: Flavored tobacco sales prohibition;

• Keystone: Flavored tobacco sales prohibition;

• Lake County Tobacco retail licensure (Dec. 2024);

• Leadville Tobacco retail licensure (Dec. 2024);

• Pueblo County: Tobacco retail licensure;

• Silt: Tobacco retail licensure; and

• Silverthorne: Flavored tobacco sales prohibition.

In 2026, the Lung Association will continue to advocate for Colorado policymakers to exercise their authority at both the state and local levels to enact policies that reduce the burden of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in our state.